Liverpool's Joe Allen to undergo shoulder surgery and will miss rest of the season

Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen has been ruled out of the remainder of the season as he will undergo surgery on a troublesome shoulder problem.

The 23-year-old withdrew from the Wales squad on Sunday because of the long-standing issue with his left shoulder, and the club then decided to bring forward plans for an operation.

Allen has had the problem for some time, but it began to get worse about five months ago and has now reached the point where corrective intervention is required.

"Joe Allen is due to have a left shoulder operation tomorrow morning in Liverpool and will be ready to return to football at the beginning of next season," first team doctor Zaf Iqbal told liverpoolfc.com.